The Robotic Refueling Mission experiment (hanging from carrier, left), as it is being installed in the STS-135 shuttle payload canister at Kennedy Space Center (Photo: NASA)

The Robotic Refueling Mission module, successfully installed onto its permanent location on the International Space Station (Photo: NASA)

Artist's concept of the International Space Station's Dextre using customized tools to demonstrate a variety of robotic refueling servicing tasks on the Robotic Refueling Mission box (Image: NASA)

Artist's concept of the Wire Cutter and Blanket Manipulation Tool approaching RRM to cut the wire on a sealed cap (Image: NASA)

Dextre approaches the RRM module (Photo: NASA)

Dextre ferries cargo from the Kounotori2 cargo ship to the International Space Station (Photo: NASA)

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Article Summary

Repairing and refueling satellites robotically may seem rather mundane, especially when compared with moon landings, Mars rovers and the Hubble space telescope, but NASA's two-year Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) experiment, now underway on the International Space Station (ISS), turns out to be surprisingly complex. Designed to demonstrate that servicing working satellites with remotely-controlled robots is a feasible option, NASA, in conjunction with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), initiated the first of several RRM test tasks just a few days ago and the results look very promising.